Warriors make Kerr hire official

Warriors make Kerr hire official

<p>The Golden State Warriors have officially hired Steve Kerr as their next head coach.</p>

Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors have officially hired Steve Kerr as their next head coach.

Last week, the Warriors reached an agreement in principle to bring Kerr to the Bay Area to take over for the ousted Mark Jackson.

Terms of the deal were not released, but multiple sources, including CBSSports.com, indicate Kerr inked a five-year pact worth $25 million.

The team will have an introductory press conference on Tuesday.

"I'm really excited about the unique opportunity to coach a very talented team and work for this committed management group," said Kerr. "In my estimation, the Warriors, from top to bottom, have become one of the marquee organizations in the NBA in recent years. I'm looking forward to becoming part of that environment and building upon the success of the last two seasons."

Kerr, lately a TNT analyst, emerged as a front-runner for the New York Knicks job after his former coach and 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson became the team's president back in March. But after meeting with the Warriors' brain trust -- CEO Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers and assistant general manager Kirk Lacob -- in Oklahoma City earlier this week, Kerr agreed to take the Warriors job.

"The fact that he played for several of the greatest coaches in the history of the game -- including Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich -- will serve him well, as will the many nuances that he learned from performing on the brightest stage during his incredibly successful, championship-filled career," said Myers.

Kerr has no coaching experience at any level but is well respected around the league. After retiring from the NBA in 2003, Kerr spent four seasons as a broadcaster before accepting the Phoenix Suns' general manager position.

He stepped down from that role in June of 2010, and returned to his old position with TNT, where he has been ever since.

A second-round pick of Phoenix in 1988, Kerr averaged 6.0 points per game over 15 seasons with six different franchises. He won five NBA titles and the 1997 3-point shootout.